The Man Who Cried Wolf
by Agent ERA
Summary: There are many things that Cho does not like, but being caught off guard is the worst...very mild language...non-slash...one-shot...


** The Man who Cried Wolf**

**Characters: **Kimball Cho and company…

**Category: **Angst/Friendship

**Rating:** T

**Summary: **There are many things that Cho doesn't like but being caught off guard is the worst…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Mentalist, if I did there would've been more episodes with more hurt!Cho.

**_A/N:_** This little plot actually came from dream, go figure. Anyways, I really wanted to write it since there is hardly any hurt!Cho fics around. Hopefully this one is better than my other one. Please let me know if you think the title is suitable. I hope you like!

* * *

><p><strong>I<strong>

The man's name was Alastair Freeman. Playboy millionaire, ladies man, media sweetheart, and the prime suspect in several narcotics smuggling rings. The narcotics unit in CBI managed to bust at least six small rings throughout the summer and had found smatterings of evidence that Freeman was possibly one of the main financiers, and possibly even be in charge of the operations. Somehow, the charges never managed to stick because Freeman would hide behind his wall of lawyers.

**II**

Cho glared at the incomplete file on his screen before him. There was no doubt in his mind that Freeman was the ringleader. He'd shared his opinions with the team but Lisbon had vetoed any action against Freeman. She said to play it safe and get more evidence before they accused Freeman of anything. After Lisbon swept back to her office, Cho shared a look with Jane, knowing that he saw through the millionaire's façade as well. Jane shrugged.

**III**

Freeman called CBI and demanded that he get 24 hr. protection. He claimed that he'd received a death threat in his email that morning. Lisbon argued with Minelli saying that the man already had plenty of protection. Minelli didn't like the man either but in the end he didn't budge.

**IV**

So that was how Cho had found himself sitting in a large courtyard on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. He sat in a fancy cushioned lawn chair next to a small, round, glass topped table overlooking the gardens and beyond that the pastures. Several horses spotted the hilly terrain. Freeman himself was currently sitting atop a brown and white mare. Cho knew that Van Pelt and Rigsby were staking out the long winding driveway but that did not help abate his feeling that something was wrong. He did a sweep of the perimeter and finding nothing out of place, sat back down and continued reading.

**V**

Cho knew something was wrong the minute the lines on his book started to blur. He never fell asleep when he was on duty. That's when he knew he'd been drugged. A tall glass of water was on the table next to him. Cho staggered to his feet. His book slipped from his fingers to the grown with a plop.

"Agent Cho, is something wrong?" Freeman sounded amused.

Cho tried to reply but his tongue suddenly felt like cotton in his mouth. Dammit, how had he been able to sneak up on him?

"Cat got your tongue, Agent?"

Cho fell to his knees, head spinning dizzily. Darkness was beginning to encroach his vision.

"Wha-"

"Truly sorry," Freeman didn't sound sorry, "but this was unavoidable. You and your people are getting to close."

Cho was forced roughly to the ground and his head smacked the cobblestone. His head swam and started to throb. A sudden vibration against his leg startled him, momentarily bringing him out of his drugged induced stupor.

"Answer it, Agent."

Cho swallowed thickly before flipping open his phone, "Cho."

"Just checking in," Rigsby paused, "You okay Cho?"

"Peachy."

There was a moment of silence, "Okay," Rigsby didn't sound convinced, "I'll check in a few hours."

"Right."

The phone was snatched from his limp fingers as soon as he hung up. Cho's arm was suddenly stretched out and Freeman's face came into view. Cho squinted through his increasingly blurring vision and caught a glimpse of a syringe. He struggled but an unseen weight pinned his other arm and legs down and he watched helplessly as the needle pricked his elbow.

Freeman stood up and dusted off his jeans.

"I truly am sorry Agent," Freeman said unapologetically, "Is everything ready?"

"Yessir."

"Good."

**VI**

Awareness came back slowly. Sounds filtered through and he recognized the steady beeping of a heart monitor. The cotton in his head evaporated and he opened his eyes to see a stark white ceiling above him. His tongue felt thick in his mouth and his throat hurt. A spot below his nose itched and Cho saw a nasal cannula attached to his nose. A pulse/ox clip was on his left index finger and an IV on his right hand. His chest suddenly seized and he coughed harshly. A straw appeared before him and he sipped greedily.

"Easy, Cho," a voice to his left said.

Cho turned his head and saw Jane set a cup on a table.

"What happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"You were drugged." Jane said bluntly.

"Ya think?"

"Actually," Jane shifted uncomfortably, "You nearly overdosed."  
>Cho raised an eyebrow.<p>

"You went into cardiac arrest halfway to the hospital. They had to put a breathing tube in your throat. They just took it out last night."

Cho sighed, "Who found me?"

"Rigsby and Van Pelt. Rigsby told me that you sounded funny. So he and Van Pelt drove up and found the place deserted except for you. You were barely breathing and they had to perform rescue breathing."

"And Freeman?"  
>Here Jane grinned and bounced on his toes, "He was snagged trying to leave in one of his yachts with several pounds of cocaine on board. He got a little to cocky, I guess, that he wasn't gonna get caught since he figured that if he drugged, you we wouldn't have time for him."<p>

"His loss," Cho shifted. He closed his eyes, silently berating himself for letting Freeman catching off guard.

Cho felt a hesitant pat on his arm and opened his eyes again to see Jane looking at him serenely.

"Don't beat yourself up about this Cho," Jane said quietly. "We don't blame you."

Sometimes, Cho wished Jane wasn't so damn perceptive. Cho shook his head and immediately regretted that when his head swam. "I shouldn't have let him catch me off guard."

Jane shrugged, he was about to answer when his cell rang. "Jane," he grinned and looked at Cho, "Yes, Lisbon," Jane said, "Cho's awake and he's thoroughly pissed."

_Fini_

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_** Reviews would be great and will be rewarded with virtual oreos!


End file.
